All sneeze guards, food guards, breath shields, counter protectors or food protectors currently mount directly to a countertop surface. The countertop surface has a receptacle formed therein for receiving one or more drop-in food pans below the food protector shield. The countertops may be made of, for example, laminated wood, stainless steel, a solid surface material, granite, marble, soapstone, a butcher block, substrate materials, etc.
A variety of techniques are used to mount the food protector to the countertop surface. Most of these techniques require the drilling or cutting of the countertop surface to configure the surface to accept the framework or supporting members of the food protector. Other techniques require physical attachment of a surface plate directly to the countertop or substrate material with threaded fastening devices.
Food protectors are required by all local, regional and state health authorities and are generally designed and manufactured to meet Food And Drug Administration (FDA) National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) Standard 2 guidelines. NSF is widely recognized as the leading independent certification company worldwide. NSF evaluates and certifies products that may potentially affect public health. Most manufacturers of food protection equipment carry the NSF mark for food guards. The FDA and NSF guidelines for a food protector over open or exposed food in a public establishment require that a food shield (tempered glass, laminated safety glass or clear acrylic) be positioned so as to intercept the breath from the average consumer.
The NSF mandated positioning of the food shield is directly related to the location of the food, not the counter height or depth from which the food is served. For example, currently the positioning requirement of NSF Standard 2 is that the leading edge of a food shield (glass or clear acrylic) must project no less than 7 inches from the front edge (customer side) of the food on display. This standard also requires that the maximum height that the leading edge of a food shield can be from the top of the food displayed is 14 inches. These standards do not, however, have a direct association with counter height or depth. The standards specifically govern the relationship between the location of the food shield and the location of the food, i.e., the location of the food pan.
One of the most common problems associated with food protectors is that the installer may or may not position the food protector in a location around the food area in compliance with the current FDA and NSF Standard 2 requirements or local or state health codes. In many cases, food protectors are installed by parties with little or no knowledge of the various local or state health codes or of the FDA and NSF Standard 2 guidelines. It is not unusual for food protectors to be installed in such a way that they fail health inspection due to improper location of the food protectors on the counter. When this occurs, the food protector must be removed and relocated, often leaving unsightly holes in the countertop surface that must be patched. In some cases, the entire countertop must be replaced.
Accordingly, a need exists for a food protector apparatus that is incapable of being installed in such a way that FDA and NSF Standard 2 guidelines, and any other applicable health codes, are not met.